Kitchen Measurements In US and Europe System

Whether you are cooking at home or you are a professional chef, measuring out ingredients correctly is the secret behind creating the perfect recipe. People always debate and argue, whether professional chefs should also take time in measuring ingredients in the kitchen. Is it so important? One must have seen or heard professional chefs adding a pinch of the special ingredient just to create something innovative or interesting, but this doesn’t mean that a perfect dish can be prepared by adding ingredients just on one’s whims and fancies. One has to follow the correct measurements to achieve the right combination and taste.

When you are cooking at home or following some recipe, following the instructions and measuring out ingredients is not difficult, the difficult part comes when you don’t have the needed measuring cups or spoons, and you are required to convert measurements according to the tools available in your kitchen. I am sure, every cook must have faced a situation where the measuring cup they need for the recipe is missing and all you are left with some measuring spoons. Remembering how many tablespoons or teaspoons are equal to a cup can be difficult, especially when you are working on a complex recipe or dish.

To make things simple for you, we have created a table showing the conversion of common units of various kitchen measuring tools.

Cups	Millilitre (ml)	Tablespoon (tbsp)	Teaspoon (tsp)	ounces (oz)
1	250	16	48	8
3/4	175	12	36	6
2/3	150	10,6	32	5 1/3
1/2	125	8	24	4
1/3	70	5,3	16	2 2/3
1/4	60	4	12	2
1/8	30	2	6	1

The difference between creating and destroying a recipe is as simple as swapping a tablespoon (tbsp) for a teaspoon (tsp). Whether it’s adding the seasoning or measuring the basic ingredients, correct measurements are the basis of a successful dish. For example, if you add 3 tablespoons salt instead of 3 teaspoons while baking a pie. How much ever the pie is baked perfectly, you won’t be able to eat the pie.  

With globalization, people across the world are trying their hand at various dishes from different corners of the world. Cooks and Chefs enjoy creating dishes from different countries, they try cooking different cuisines. There are 2 major metric systems in the world, the US and the European. One will need to understand the conversion and comparison of the 2 metric systems, to dish out the correct recipe. 

The significant difference between the 2 metric systems, US and other than the terms used, is that the US system depends primarily on volume for measuring ingredients, whereas in the Europe system dry ingredients are measured by weight and liquid ingredients are measured in volume. Therefore if you are working on a recipe from one of the systems US or European, it is recommended that you convert the measurement of all the ingredients in your metric system. If not done so, you may end up getting confused with the proportions.

Below mentioned are basic measurements in both US and European Metric system.In cuisinie it is common to use the measurements tablespoon and teaspoon instead of millilitre.

Tablespoon (tbsp)	Teaspoon (tsp)	ml	Cup
1/3	1	5	-
1/2	1 1/2	7,5	-
1	3	15	-
2	6	30	-

Measuring equipment which you should own

Ingredients required for cooking or baking any dish, need to be measured by volume using a variety of measuring spoons and measuring cups. Generally cooks do not have all types of kitchen measuring tools in their kitchen. There is no need to worry.  One can easily convert the measurements of these kitchen tools and use the available equipment to dish out the best recipes. I am running with following things perfectly.

Measuring spoons

Measuring spoons are generally available in different volumes of 1/8 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon. They are available in both steel and plastic make. It is advisable to have 2 sets of measuring spoons, so you can use them for liquid and dry ingredients separately.

Liquid measuring cups

Liquid measuring cups are available in a number of sizes ranging from 1 cup to 1 gallon. For me the measurement bottle with 2 litres, so 8 cups is perfect. I dont need bigger ones.They come with a pour spout to make pouring of measured liquid ingredients easy and manageable. Available in both stainless steel and plastic.

Dry ingredients measuring cups

Dry ingredients measuring cups come in sizes of ¼ cup, 1/3 cup, ½ cup and 1 cup units. They come in regular cup shapes, having no spouts. Available in both, stainless steel and plastic.

Commonly asked questions regarding cooking measurements

How many teaspoons make one tablespoon?

3 teaspoons make one tablespoon. If a recipe mentions using tablespoon for measurements, and you have only teaspoons available with you. The simplest conversion is 1 tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons.

How many tablespoons equal a cup?

16 tablespoons equal a cup. Don’t know which cup to use for measuring ingredients. The best way to find the ideal cup for measurement is by measuring 16 tablespoons in it. 1 cup is equal to 16 tablespoons.

How many ounces (oz.) in a cup?

1 cup equals 8 ounces (oz.). Are you confused with the measurement of the ingredients mentioned in ounces in the cookbook? Do not worry it is very simple, 1 cup is equal to 8 ounces (oz.). 

How many millitres in an ounce?

1 oz (fluid ounce) equals to 29.57ml of fluid. Some cookbooks mention fluid ingredients in millitres and some in ounce. A simple conversion is that 1 oz. of liquid is same as 29.57 ml of the liquid.

How many oz in a tablespoon?

1 tablespoon is equivalent to 0.5 oz (fluid). Measuring out liquid ingredients becomes easier and simpler if you know that 0.5 oz. in any recipe means 1 tablespoon of measurement.

How many grams in a tablespoon?

As per the metric table, 1 tablespoon is equivalent to 14.3 grams. However this proportion can change depending on the nature of the ingredient. A heaped tablespoon of castor sugar can hold 21 grams. Whereas a heaped tablespoon of butter can hold 35 grams. And if you are measuring liquids, 1 tablespoon can fill 15 ml or 15 grams of the ingredient.

How many grams in a cup?

1 cup is equivalent to 128 grams of dry ingredients. While 1 cup of butter is equivalent to 227 grams. And 1 cup of liquids like honey or syrups hold.

How many cups in a pound?

2 cups of most of the ingredients is equivalent to 1 pound of weight. 8 oz. make 1 cup, hence 16 oz. or 1 pound equals 2 cups. However depending on nature of the ingredients, the measurements may vary slightly.

How many tablespoons in an ounce?

1 tablespoon holds 0.5 oz. of liquid or dry ingredients, hence 3 teaspoons are equivalent to 0.5 oz. To conclude 6 teaspoons are equal to 1 ounce of ingredients.

As mentioned above in most of the cases, the measurements for liquid and dry ingredients vary. The measurement for a liquid will be different from dry ingredients like flour or oats or sugar etc. Measuring a tablespoon of honey will not be the same in ounces or grams as a tablespoon of brown sugar.